Lovett: Week 2 Discussion

Chapter: BIM for the owners

Chapter 4 of this text focuses on the benefits the BIM process can offer owners and managers.  This is at first aimed at the delivery of a product in the most efficient method possible, mostly relating to cost incurred upfront (capital and the estimation of costs), during issues (change orders and scheduling liquidation damages), and throughout the lifecycle of the project.  This concept is restated several times over in different manners, though the fact that the BIM tools are directed for use of architects, engineers, and the like.  

To address the construction process as seen by the owners, the adaptability of BIM has become a benchmark in the construction industry.  It has not only made the capability of large-scale projects possible, but the process of integrating large change orders in a project has been simplified by the possibilities of families and being able to carry-over more complex assemblies from one job to another.    

The increase in efficiency for the structures can be carried over from commercial to residential projects seamlessly, which allows for a growing diversity of larger firms offering new opportunities to individual home owners. 

3-D Printing with Steel Bridges
It has been long-sought after to build larger scale objects utilizing 3-D printing but this approach to build a bridge is still a modest ambition.  It will be used for foot traffic, ideally, and will actually be composed of a composite steel.  The reason this is such a large undertaking is that the generic 3-D printing usually requires a boundaries box and with this installment of innovation by MX3D, there are no boundaries to speak of.  This is a monumental leap forward considering the potential applications of 6-axis automated welding.  The possibility of structural repairs using this method are incalculable. 


Citation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITCneG2GnO4


3-D printing with Building Envelopes
Building envelopes have evolved over time from simplistic cladding to flowing pieces of art that incorporate a degree of the same qualities as its predecessors due to its inherent nature.  Layering these "sheets" have similar effects of geosynthetics in that the qualities of each layer can be seen as a whole, cohesive unit.  The flexibility of the materials involved also allow for more artistic liberties to be taken during the design process, which can also lend to a warmer feeling for the inhabitants.  The main concern for large-scale production of these features is the inevitable waste created when non-degradable polymers are disposed of.

Citation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiMWsqo82I4


3-D printing entire structures
Bringing the concepts mentioned above together is the ultimate goal of engineers working with 3-D printing.  MIT has developed a prototype for fully designing a structure.  This approach is currently limited by materials needed for the structure that are not necessarily available for 3-D printing yet.  Ideally this will become a completely autonomous process so uninhabited areas (particularly relating to space exploration) could be constructed without the need of human labors or the excess resources they would need during this time. 

Citation:
https://scitechdaily.com/mit-develops-a-system-that-can-3d-print-the-basic-structure-of-an-entire-building/


Comments:

Dung,

I appreciate your candor on the matter, particularly pertaining to feeling haunted by many school not offering guidance with this software, especially Drexel of all.  This is a clear gap in knowledge that our graduating class will certainly be penalized for.  Knowing more about the company and its origin is a helpful start to the process.



Jordan,

I couldn't agree more concerning the handbook's take on efficiency being paramount for today's field.  Scheduling is obviously an important factor, though when the inevitable changes occur mid-project it is comforting to know how simplistic the updates to design and the subsequent integration into the construction can be when approached in this manner.  You bring up another imperative point concerning the international factor that is forever-growing.  Helping bridge the language gap by the use of universal software is nothing short of a miracle and will save everyone involved the time and money that the problem may otherwise cause.


Kerry,

The complexity of BIM software and its related databases are certainly growing as the product and environment evolves.  I enjoyed your honesty when addressing the learning curve for users to be acclimated to the layers of BIM that you mentioned.  The convenience cannot be exaggerate at this time, though fully understanding an assembly and furthermore how the BIM tools utilize and update in real-time is a challenge in and of itself.  This chapter makes a decent attempt at fleshing out the conceptual side of BIM and you took it a bit further so thank you.  

Odorizzi: Current Thoughts on Term Project

This is going to be a very broad post about my current thoughts on a project topic. I am hovering between three of the large topics: BIM, A.I. and sensors.

The case for BIM: I am familiar with Revit, and it is seemingly the most practical and relevant topic because I will use Revit in industry. Hence - it may be good to build a deeper understanding of manipulating a Revit model. For example, it would be nice to build from scratch a Revit model that contains a complete architectural, structural, and HVAC model (like it is done in the real world). But I’ve never done HVAC in Revit before - so that would be a lot to chew.

The case for A.I.: I am very interested neural networks and how they work… and I’m getting acquainted with Bixby, but this does not have the same degree of applicability as the others.

The case for sensors: I think it would be interesting to dive into some of the surveying equipment that I have used out in the field. The first tools that come to mind are investigating exactly how a laser tape works, or there are drill bits that will measure the resistance when drilled into wood to deem whether the wood is rotted or not. It would be interesting to learn how these work and how their accuracy is established.

Dee Dee Strohl Term Project General Idea

Potentially looking at a building type now and its life cycle and what technology can change as time progresses.

Group E Post - Education

With the new technologies that available to workers, universities can begin to teach students the coding process that goes into making machines rather than teaching just civil or architectural engineering and computer science.  The education would be much more in depth on AI and robotics, but a student would still need the CIVE or AE background in order to understand the building process. Project based instruction would become more practical: a design could be made and implemented and tested in a laboratory setting.

AI/ Robot Implications on Construction Sequence - Dee Dee

If robots and AI begin to be used in construction and design, there would be more upfront time coding or teaching robots to do certain tasks to then be able to do the work on their own. When this process first begins, it might take more time to teach the technology in the setting. If the technology becomes well used in the field, the construction time will be comparable or even faster than construction time with human workers. 

Building shape and form

Implication of AI to building forms.
Nowadays, AI is able to create music and poetry by itself. I believe that there will soon be a day that robot can produce an architectural design. The development of 3D printing has allowed machines to create steel bridges, building envelopes or even a whole complex shape building such as a sphere.

Robotics & Building Form

After watching the videos shown in class and reading about robotics in the engineering field, I believe that using robots in the design and construction phase of a building would be very beneficial to the overall form of the building. For one of my blog posts, I read about a organization called DFAB House in Switzerland that is run by the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR). Their research has proven very useful to the field since they have created a robot called the In Situ fabricator which is a site construction robot. They have programmed this robot to use innovative design processes such as Mesh Mould, Smart Dynamic Casting, Smart Slab, and Spatial Timber Assemblies to digitally construct a building.

Nay Ye Oo - Implications of AI & Robotics in our World for Safety

Implications of AI and Robotics in our World for Safety

Using AI/Robotics for 'Safety' for human beings can vary from replacing physical labor to virtual cyber security. The first thing that comes to mind for safety is putting people away from physical harm. An example would be performing a task for instance in a construction site that is either dangerous/risky or physically demanding for a human to execute.

Andrew Maita - Cost Implications

Implications for the cost of implementing more AI can have both positive and negative affects on the current system used today. In the long run, replacing, say a car assembly factory, with all automated AI would be cheaper and more efficient in the long run as the need to pay human workers and human error goes away. In the short term, the initial installation and manufacturing of these AI robots could be expensive until the production of these robots becomes cheaper in the future.

Thomas Sisson Cost Implications

Cost of buildings is definitely going to be reduced both on the design and construction fronts. The growing AI will start to replace human workers and reduce the number of people on payroll, overall reducing budget. AI will also impact the cost optimization of the designs. On construction, skilled workers will also be replaced by AI/Robots, therefore again reducing pay for workers, and the construction would optimize material use and minimize waste.

Intelligent Building- Jianfeng Xiao

My definition for intelligent building is that intelligent building use technology to design environmental efficiency and solve for building problem.

Intelligent Building Definition

An intelligent building is one which can read and respond to the needs of the occupants with a limited need for human control.

Intelligent Building Definition

I partially agree with Professor Mitchell's definition of an intelligent building.  An intelligent building should use computer technology to integrate multiple building systems.  These systems should incorporate smart  technologies such as the Amazon Echo, Nest Thermostat, etc. 

Nay Ye Oo - Definition of Intelligent Building

Definition of Intelligent Building

Personally, I would define Intelligent Building as a building that has the ability to learn, adapt and communicate. Based on Intelligent Buildings Institute, there are four basic elements of a building: structure, systems, services and management. I believe that using technology, an intelligent building should be able to let all four elements of a building communicate with one another and learn and adapt to be more efficient depending on its immediate surrounding.

https://www.commscope.com/Blog/Defining-Todays-Intelligent-Building/

Mark O - Defining "Intelligent Building"

Unlike Professor Mitchell, I do not believe an Intelligent Building to be exclusive to "adaptive" technology. This claim essentially states that the technology associated with the building process, design, construction, and operation must incorporate artificial intelligence such that the system can self-improve.

I would define Intelligent Building as the use of available systems to efficiently and best serve the needs of the users. A building rigged with light sensors to adjust the indoor lighting of a space, in my mind, is intelligent. This does not require A.I. However, the building and building process is able to anticipate the needs of the users and supply to those needs.

Andrew Maita - Definition of an Intelligent Building

My definition of an intelligent building would be a building where many, if not all, of the individual systems that help the building function (fire protection, lighting, HVAC, etc) can all be controlled and monitored under one system.

Intelligent Buildings Definition

Definition:
Intelligent buildings are a compilation of advanced systems that produce better efficiency in a building and can create sustainability.

Dung Tran - Intelligent Building definition

My definition of the intelligent building is that a building containing an automatic control that manages all of building system including lights, HVAC. Also, this building was built from analyzing a set of data placed in a Building Intelligent Modeling (BIM) software to construct. 

What is Intelligent Buildings?

I believe the term "intelligent building" means a building that takes advantage of different technologies to be environmentally friendly and more efficient. For example, a smart home to me would be able to generate the energy required of its occupants and result in off the grid living.

Intelligent Building Definition

Definition of Intelligent Building:

It is the use of adaptive computer technology (BIM, Robotics, AI, etc.) in the design, construction, and operation of a building to produce a higher quality, more efficient building.